Elevated tank



Feb. 22, 1949. G. 'r. HQRTON 2,462,101

ELEVATED TANK Filed Sept. 28, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 60 7396 T/VQZW 2 5 Feb. 22, 1949. G.1-. HORTON 2,462,101

' ELEVATED TANK Filed Sept. 28, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 602" e 17. 1767" arc g v/M yzi% %m 75 Feb. 22, 1949. T. HORTON 2,462,101

ELEVATED TANK Filed Sept. 28, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 G 'Z77Z/7 ear e 2" 02?, jj gm j Z w- Patentedfeb. 22, 1949 ELEVATED TANK George T. Horton, Chicago, 111., assignor to Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a corporation of Illinois Application September 28, 1944, Serial No. 556,153

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-4) This invention relates to improvements in elevated tanks and more especially an elevated steel tank such as is commonly used for storage of water and other liquids. The invention is particularly applicable to tanksof large storage capacity, for example from 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 gallons or larger.

In elevated water tanks of large capacity such as used for a municipal water supply and the like, it is necessary or desirable to maintain a certain minimum head in order to supply the desired pressure. One of the features of my invention is to provide a structure of large capacity in which the variation of head from full capacity to empty will be small. In other words, in large tanks of this kind it is desirable to obtain the increased capacity by additional horizontal area of the tank rather than by additional height. By increasing the capacity, excess pressures are avoided and consequently saving in cost is effected.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a tank of the character described that can be easily and economically built. It is also a relatively simple matter to adapt my tank to various shapes of ground upon which the tank is to be erected. It is also relatively simple to design a tank embodying the features of my invention for any desired capacity.

In DeVore Patent 2,346,129 a structure is shown in which the bottom of an elevated tank comprises a plurality of intersecting inverted truncated cones. This structure achieves most of the foregoing objects but is somewhat unsightly. The device shown herein is readily constructed and the III ' pipe.

if they are circular, that the shape thereof be deformed downwardly at the intersections so that the lines of intersection Illa shall be horizontal, and that all of the intersections will lie in a horizontal plane. In this Way interdrainage of the cones is provided at all portions except a negligible portion of the non-intersecting area of the outermost ring of cones. Drainage from the depressed areas of the cone may be provided by an inverted conical frustum lflb centrally located in the tank. It may also be provided in any other way, not shown, as for example, drainage members from each of the bottom portions to one or more of the vertical posts. The tubular columns or posts may each be a drain or may serve as a riser pipe but preferably the tops of all but one or more are closed by plates Ila. Preferably the central pipe llb which supports an inverted conical frustum lllc is left open to serve as a riser At intervals vertical channels 13 may be provided on the plates Ha to support the horizontal channels I4 which in turn carry straps l5 adapted to support the roof iii.

In Figure 7 the line ll represents the line of intersection of two of the cones. This line when viewed from the top or from the side is preferably straight, the cone being deformed adjacent thereto to accomplish this result. If the cones are permitted to intersect on their normal lines of curvature, line it would be curved upwardly and would leave undrained pockets on each line of intersection.

side walls serve to conceal the multitude of cones The tank may be made in substantially any so that the structure of the tank may be inshape desired, as viewed from the top. As here tegrated more readily with any suitable outline or shown, it is hexagonal and comprises 37 interdesign. secting conical frustums, of which 36 are upright The invention is illustrated in the drawings in and one is inverted. The cones in the outer row which Fig. 1 is a top plan view; Fig 2 is a view in 0 as here shown have their side faces closed by side elevation; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view with the roof removed; Fig. 4 is a view taken as indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective, showing the roof supporting members; Fig. 6 is a view taken as indicated by the line 6-6 in Figure 1; Fig. 7 is a top plan view taken as indicated by the line l--'l in Figure 6; Fig 8 is a top plan view taken as indicated by the line 8-8 in Figure 4; and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention.

As shown in the drawings, the tank 9 comprises primarily a bottom formed of a plurality of upright intersecting conical frustums or truncated cones Ill, l0, supported by tubular columns diaphragms H8. The inner faces are partially closed by the triangular diaphragms 5| and 52, the triangular space indicated by 53 being left open. 54, 54 indicate stiifening members-on the diaphragms.

The outer shape of he structure may of course be modified as viewed from the side. For example, while I have shown a structure which is substantially rectangular, as viewed from the side, this may be rounded at the corners to provide a curved roof which merges the upper corners into the side walls, and curved side walls which merge at the bottom into a, curved bottom which may or may not join the central riser pipe I lb at its apex. The structure may comprise a single cone sur- These cones may be circular,-

3 r rounded by one or more rows 01 intersecting cones. Similarly the outer walls may comprise a series of circular segments, as viewed in a horizontal plane, or the outer walls may be merged into one continuous curve.

In Figure 9 I have shown a form of the tank in which the cones 100 are of the so called pagoda form in which the slope of the cone increases upwardly in a substantially hyperbolic form. Similarly, the inverted cone Hlllc is provided with a wall of decreasing slope in a downward direction which is reversed at the point of intersection to Join the riser pipe IN.

The tanks herein described have a further advantage over the DeVore structure already referred to in that the metal within the upright cones is under tension, rather than compression, as is the case with an inverted cone.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An elevated steel tank having a bottom comprising a central inverted truncated cone supported by a riser pipe at its truncated vertex, a plurality of upright cones intersecting with said inverted cone and with each other to form the bottom of the tank, side walls connected to the outer cones, and a roof connecting the side walls.

2. An elevated tank having its bottom formed substantially entirely of a plurality of truncated cones, said cones being at least partially distorted so as to intersect at their bases and said cones being supported on posts which contact the cones at the truncated vertices.

3. A tank as set forth in claim 2 in which the bottom includes a central inverted truncated cone supported by a post at its vertex.

4. A tank as set forth in claim 2 in which substantially all of said intersections lie in a substantlally horizontal plane.

, truncated cones intersecting at their bases, said formed substantially of a plurality of upright 45 cones being partially distorted so as to intersect in lines substantially all of which lie in a substantially horizontal plane, a root member common to all the cones, a supporting post extending downwardly from each of the truncated vertices, a side wall extending between the root and the bottom comprising a plurality of intersecting cylindrical segments arranged symmetrically around the vertical axis of the tank and each having a center of curvature substantially in the projected axis of one of said truncated cones and vertical diaphragms above the lines of intersection of truncated cones adjacent the side walls interconnecting said cones and said side wall segments.

6. A tank as set forth in claim 5 in which the bottom includes an inverted truncated cone extending below said plane oi intersection and having a hollow riser pipe at its vertex.

'7. An elevated metal tank comprising a bottom formed of a plurality of upright truncated cones, said cones being distorted at their bases to intersect in a substantially common plane, a roof member common to all the cones, a supporting post extending downwardly from each of the truncated vertices, a side wall extending between the roof and bottom comprising a plurality o1 intersecting cylindrical segments arranged symmetrically around the vertical axis of the tank, each having a center of curvature substantially in the projected axis of one of said truncated cones.

GEORGE T. HORTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 24,424 Badger et ai June 14, 1859 87,634 Clark Mar. 9, 1869 1,844,854 Horton Feb. 9, 1932 1,946,493 Horton Feb. 13, 1934 2,346,129 DeVore Apr. 11, 1944 2,358,805 Horton Sept. 26, 1944 

